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Electronics for Imaging

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Electronics for Imaging, Inc.
Company typePublic
Nasdaq: EFII
S&P 600 Component
IndustryDigital Imaging Technology
Founded1989 (1989)
FounderEfi Arazi
Headquarters
Fremont, California
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Guy Gecht CEO
RevenueIncrease US$ 998 million (FY 2017)
Increase US$ 45.5 million (FY 2016)
Number of employees
3100+ (2017)
WebsiteEfi.com

Electronics for Imaging, Inc. (EFI) is an international company based in Silicon Valley that specializes in digital printing technology. EFI develops technologies for the manufacturing of signage, packaging, textiles, ceramic tiles, and personalized documents, with a wide range of printers, inks, digital front ends, and a comprehensive business and production workflow suite.

Business

Formerly located in Foster City, California, the company is now based in Fremont. EFI™ is a global technology company whose corporate goal is to lead the worldwide transformation from analogue to digital imaging. EFI develops technologies for the manufacturing of signage, packaging, textiles, ceramic tiles, and personalised documents, with a wide range of printers, inks, digital front ends, and a comprehensive business and production workflow suite that streamlines the production process. On July 1, 2015, EFI entered the textile printing marketing with the acquisition of Italian digital textile company Reggiani Macchine.[1] On June 19, 2016, EFI acquired Optitex, a 3D digital workflow provider.

History

EFI was founded in 1989 in San Francisco by Israeli businessman Efi Arazi, who had previously founded Scitex in 1968, the first Israeli high-tech firm.

Awards

For six consecutive years, EFI has led the print industry with the most Must See 'Em awards through the Graph Expo, the most comprehensive "selling" trade show for Digital, Inkjet, Offset, Flexo, Gravure and Hybrid technologies, products and services for the Commercial, Transactional, Converting and Package Printing, Publishing, Mailing, In-Plant, Photo Imaging, Marketing and Industrial Printing industries in the Americas. In 2016, EFI received 8 Must See 'Em awards.[2] The MUST SEE ’EMS provide valuable guidance to show goers considering the purchase of new equipment or software; they are also invaluable to exhibitors who desire industry-wide recognition of their newest products. The MUST SEE ’EMS also provide the industry media with a specific "hot list" of the latest innovations for pre-show, onsite and post-show coverage.[3]

Controversy

In October 2014, the U.S. Labor Department's wage and hour division in San Francisco fined the company $3,500 and ordered it to pay more than $40,000 in back wages after it had employed eight people at its new location in Fremont and paid the workers $1.21 per hour to install the computer network. California minimum wage was then $8.00 an hour.[4][5] The employees, IT technicians, were flown in from Bangalore, India to help with the company's relocation to Fremont and were paid in rupees. The company said it was an "administrative error". EFI's vice president of HR Shared Services, Beverly Rubin, said, "During this assignment, they continued to be paid their regular pay in India, as well as a special bonus for their efforts on this project." She added, "During this process we unintentionally overlooked laws that require even foreign employees to be paid based on local U.S. standards."[4][6][7][8]

Some of the employees were reported to have worked 122 hours a week setting up the network.[8] The day before news of the labor violation was reported, the company posted record revenues of nearly $198 million, an 11 percent increase over the previous year.[9] Michael Eastman, assistant district director with the United States Department of Labor, said that the labor abuses at the company were among the worst he had ever seen, even surpassing Los Angeles sweatshops.[4] According to the Associated Press, CEO Guy Gecht earns just under $6 million, including salary and bonuses.[4]

The controversy precipitated a flurry of comments from local politicians. Mike Honda, Congressman from San Jose and a Democrat, issued a statement that EFI's human resources practices "constitute the most egregious type of wage theft and employee abuse. They undermine fair labor competition among businesses, and if left unaddressed would erode the idea that this is an economy of opportunity."[10] Honda indicated that current penalties are not sufficient to deter unscrupulous employers from engaging in wage abuses, and need to be increased. CEO Guy Gecht, had been a major contributor to the campaign of Ro Khanna, Honda's opponent, but Gecht's name was removed from Khanna's endorsement list after news of the labor violations broke. Tyler Law, a spokesman for Khanna noted, "The inexcusable exploitation by Electronics for Imaging goes against everything that Silicon Valley stands for."[10]

References

  1. ^ http://www.printweek.in/news/efi-acquires-reggiani-matan-enters-textile-market-12078
  2. ^ http://www.piworld.com/article/sixth-consecutive-year-efi-leads-industry-must-see-ems-awards/
  3. ^ http://www.mustseeems.com/
  4. ^ a b c d Michael Liedtke, "US tech firm penalized for mistreatment of Indian employees working 122 hours in a week" Star Tribune. 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
  5. ^ As of July 2014, the minimum wage in the state of California is $9.00 per hour. "Minimum Wage" State of California Department of Industrial Relations. Retrieved 2014-10-24
  6. ^ Ben Gilbert, "Bay Area tech company caught paying imported workers $1.21 an hour" engadget.com October 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
  7. ^ "Angel Awards - The Top 10". Image Reports. 2009-12-16. p. 20. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  8. ^ a b "Workers paid $1.21 an hour to install Fremont computers". October 2014. Retrieved 2014-10-23. {{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  9. ^ "EFI Reports Record Revenue of $198M for Q3, Up 11 Percent Compared to Q3 of Previous Year" Printing Impressions. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
  10. ^ a b Josh Richman, "CA17: Honda blasts firm fined for wage theft" Bay Area News Group. 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-10-24.
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